Page 3 of this thread is quite good. Seems like having multiple pumidors with different temp and humidity levels would be important if you wanted to ideally match each tea. Maybe this is why around 70% humidity is often spoken of as a good starting point... it’s somewhat in the middle of the range, esp if it’s in a typical household climate controlled temperature?

Boveda packs are currently sitting on top of my teas in the crocks. Wouldn't the teas on top get more humidity than the ones at the bottom of the crock?

In my minifridge with the fan disabled, I get a humidity gradient of 2%, but I have my packs at the lowest point. Honestly I wouldn't think too hard about it - "within reasonable limits" is what you're aiming for with a crock setup.

Five different people will have six different opinions when it comes to the "best" storage parameters.

I should be able to put the crocks into my mini fridge with the lid off, right?
All of my shou is currently broken down and loose so they need to be in some kind of canister, and crocks are somewhat breathable.

My apartment is normally 80F, but 27% humidity in the winter (according to my new hygrometer).
Putting Boveda packs into crocks did not work, the packs are already dried out 2 weeks later. The crocks are too porous.

Putting your puer into crocks is bad advice based on my experience, I regret following it. I just re-tasted one of my favorite teas and it seems very flat, I hope I can save it in time... I've had a hard time airing out the new fridge smell even for 2 weeks so I put in some lower quality shou into the fridge and hope it sucks up all the bad smell.

My apartment is normally 80F, but 27% humidity in the winter (according to my new hygrometer).
Putting Boveda packs into crocks did not work, the packs are already dried out 2 weeks later. The crocks are too porous.

Putting your puer into crocks is a bad idea based on my experience, I regret following it. I just re-tasted one of my favorite teas and it seems very flat, I hope I can save it in time... I've had a hard time airing out the new fridge smell even for 2 weeks so I put in some lower quality shou into the fridge and hope it sucks up all the bad smell.

If possible setting the fridge out so the inside is getting direct sunlight can help with smell. I've heard of people using baking soda mixtures as well.

My apartment is normally 80F, but 27% humidity in the winter (according to my new hygrometer).
Putting Boveda packs into crocks did not work, the packs are already dried out 2 weeks later. The crocks are too porous.

Putting your puer into crocks is a bad idea based on my experience, I regret following it. I just re-tasted one of my favorite teas and it seems very flat, I hope I can save it in time... I've had a hard time airing out the new fridge smell even for 2 weeks so I put in some lower quality shou into the fridge and hope it sucks up all the bad smell.

If possible setting the fridge out so the inside is getting direct sunlight can help with smell. I've heard of people using baking soda mixtures as well.

To get rid of smell; empty refrigerator, then clean inside with generous amount of white vinegar, and let it dry open for a few hours. Vinegar scent will dissipate, so will not remain. Once dry, place several open bowls of baking soda for a few days, to absorb any remaining aromas. Should be aroma free after this.

My apartment is normally 80F, but 27% humidity in the winter (according to my new hygrometer).
Putting Boveda packs into crocks did not work, the packs are already dried out 2 weeks later. The crocks are too porous.

Putting your puer into crocks is a bad idea based on my experience, I regret following it. I just re-tasted one of my favorite teas and it seems very flat, I hope I can save it in time... I've had a hard time airing out the new fridge smell even for 2 weeks so I put in some lower quality shou into the fridge and hope it sucks up all the bad smell.

If possible setting the fridge out so the inside is getting direct sunlight can help with smell. I've heard of people using baking soda mixtures as well.

To get rid of smell; empty refrigerator, then clean inside with generous amount of white vinegar, and let it dry open for a few hours. Vinegar scent will dissipate, so will not remain. Once dry, place several open bowls of baking soda for a few days, to absorb any remaining aromas. Should be aroma free after this.

Seconded on the vinegar and baking soda. I normally try to find used ones for storage.

My apartment is normally 80F, but 27% humidity in the winter (according to my new hygrometer).
Putting Boveda packs into crocks did not work, the packs are already dried out 2 weeks later. The crocks are too porous.

Putting your puer into crocks is a bad idea based on my experience, I regret following it. I just re-tasted one of my favorite teas and it seems very flat, I hope I can save it in time... I've had a hard time airing out the new fridge smell even for 2 weeks so I put in some lower quality shou into the fridge and hope it sucks up all the bad smell.

If possible setting the fridge out so the inside is getting direct sunlight can help with smell. I've heard of people using baking soda mixtures as well.

To get rid of smell; empty refrigerator, then clean inside with generous amount of white vinegar, and let it dry open for a few hours. Vinegar scent will dissipate, so will not remain. Once dry, place several open bowls of baking soda for a few days, to absorb any remaining aromas. Should be aroma free after this.

even if it does help in some way (mainly via adsorption), it's not removing the actual source of smells i.e. it doesn't clean the fridge surfaces themselves.
i think that if you have enough baking soda in a closed fridge, it may reduce the concentration of volatiles in the air a bit.
its effect is similar to but less effective than just leaving the door open and letting it air out.

right now i'm using a broken mini fridge i got for free from craigslist a few months ago.
it had been kept pretty clean, but it did have some kind of faint food smell to it.
i washed it out with unscented soap and water thoroughly, but the smell persisted.

the smell improved some after leaving the fridge door open for about a month.
afterwards, i left some tea in there that i didn't care about too much for a few days with the door closed. then i removed the tea, aired it out for a few minutes, and then smelled the fridge interior after leaving the door closed for a few hours to let potential odors "charge up". it smelled like tea and not really like food anymore.

in the case of this mini fridge, the plastic interior is just a bit porous, and faint food smell that was on there was pretty easily overpowered and seemingly 'overwritten' by some exposure to tea volatiles to an extent that i was comfortable with using it as a pumidor.

even if it does help in some way (mainly via adsorption), it's not removing the actual source of smells i.e. it doesn't clean the fridge surfaces themselves.
i think that if you have enough baking soda in a closed fridge, it may reduce the concentration of volatiles in the air a bit.
its effect is similar to but less effective than just leaving the door open and letting it air out.

right now i'm using a broken mini fridge i got for free from craigslist a few months ago.
it had been kept pretty clean, but it did have some kind of faint food smell to it.
i washed it out with unscented soap and water thoroughly, but the smell persisted.

the smell improved some after leaving the fridge door open for about a month.
afterwards, i left some tea in there that i didn't care about too much for a few days with the door closed. then i removed the tea, aired it out for a few minutes, and then smelled the fridge interior after leaving the door closed for a few hours to let potential odors "charge up". it smelled like tea and not really like food anymore.

in the case of this mini fridge, the plastic interior is just a bit porous, and faint food smell that was on there was pretty easily overpowered and seemingly 'overwritten' by some exposure to tea volatiles to an extent that i was comfortable with using it as a pumidor.

A few years ago while I was away for a month my electricity was turned off by mistake. My full refrigerator had no electricity for two weeks. After emptying a very smelly refrigerator, I had to thoroughly clean it twice to get the smell out. First clorox with baking soda and a brush, let that dry. Still smelled. Next generous amounts of white vinegar and different size scrub brushes, much better results. Next baking soda, smells all gone after a week of switching out cups with soda.

Baking soda works very well to absorb odors and to clean surfaces in my experience. Spent dry tea leaves also may work, since they absorb odors well, although they absorb more humidity and get moldy after a while. Like you said the surface needs to be cleaned first to really remove the source of odors. The trick is to use a generous amount of white vinegar to clean the surface, gaskets, nocks and crannies thoroughly, this really helps with cleaning and with odors also. I now also keep an open cup with baking soda in my refrigerator to absorb any off putting smells, and switch that out monthly or as needed.